Madame de Villedieu was a prolific writer who not only played an important role in the evolution of the early modern novel in France but also wrote poetry and plays as well as being the first woman playwright in France to have one of her works produced by a professional theater company. She was one of the few French women who earned her living by writing. Villedieu practiced many genres, both following popular taste and innovating. Among her innovations are the first-person pseudo-autobiographical novel, an early epistolary novel, and the "gallant" tale, focusing on the partially or wholly fictional love affairs of historical personages. This latter genre provides an alternative to official history, one that asks readers to take a second look at the kinds of relationships and motivations that determine the behavior of famous historical figures; through this genre she suggested that women play a significant role...